Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Protection District Awarded $50K

LINCOLNSHIRE, IL— Several local fire departments will be receiving federal grant money courtesy of the Assistance to Firefighter program. Last week, Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) announced the awarding of a total of $676,264 to the fire departments.

Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Protection District was awarded $50,241 to replace their 20-year-old air filling station, which is used to fill firefighters’ self-contained breathing apparatus and SCUBA bottles, according to a news release. In addition, the grant will be used to purchase equipment to annually test breathing masks, hazardous materials masks, WMD masks, and other equipment.The Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Protection District will replace all their out-of-date radios.

The federal grant funds are intended to help the local fire departments improve and replace personnel safety equipment, upgrade to the latest technology, purchase new fire trucks, and hire new firefighters.

FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security award these grants through the AFG program. According to the news release, the purpose of the AFG program is to help fire departments improve their ability to protect the health and safety of the public and their personnel. Since 2001, the AFG program has awarded approximately $7.7 billion in grants to fire departments nationwide that go through a thorough application process.

“Every day I am grateful for the dedication and professionalism of our 10th District firefighters and other first responders,” Schneider said. “These brave men and women do what it takes, without hesitation, to keep our communities and residents safe. It is critically important that these departments are well staffed, fully trained and properly equipped to continue serving our communities. My team and I are always proud to help advocate for our district fire departments to receive these selective grants.”